A donation of Agilisys’s office furniture has given parts of the Guille-Allès Library a new lease of life while other furniture has been sold to raise more than £1,700 for local charity, Wigwam, to support children and young people with additional needs.
The furniture that once served Agilisys’ tech teams and project meetings has been repurposed across the library in the heart of St Peter Port, from staff spaces to public areas, giving new life to some of its busiest rooms.
A boardroom table and chairs donated to the library are now used daily for staff meetings, training sessions, and collaborations with visiting partners such as the Guernsey Literary Festival. Hot desks, once part of an open-plan digital office, are now in constant use by library staff, helping to make better use of limited space.
Another table has found a thoughtful new purpose, set up in a private room to provide space for counselling sessions as part of the Healthy Minds initiative, which supports adults with anxiety and depression.
Soundproof booths from the Agilisys office have found their new home on the balcony of the Library’s Hayward Room – now a bright, modern study space. They’ve proved particularly popular with visitors who use the Library to work, providing a private spot to take personal calls or join meetings.
Behind the scenes, the biggest transformation has taken place in the staff locker room, where brand-new lockers have replaced those that had been in place since the 1990s. Donated coat stands have also contributed to a refresh of the room.
Through the sale of other surplus furniture, both to employees and the local Blanchelande school, Agilisys also raised £1,700 for the local charity Wigwam Support Group, which offers support and advice to parents and families of children and young people with additional needs.
Altogether, the value of all the furniture donated and repurposed, including items gifted to the Guille-Allès Library, sold for charity, and a four-person booth provided to IWS Guernsey, is estimated at around £25,000.
The donation forms part of a long record of community engagement by Agilisys during its six-year partnership with the States of Guernsey.
Since 2019, the company has supported a range of local causes, from beach cleans with the Clean Earth Trust and conservation work with the Guernsey Conservation Volunteers to maintenance projects with Only Fools and Donkeys and ecological surveys with La Société Guernesiaise.
Agilisys also sponsored the College of Further Education’s annual Tech Day, served as a digital sponsor for the IoD Student Summit, and offered work experience placements each year, particularly for students from Le Murier School.
Commenting on the donations, Shona Leavey, Former Head of IT Service at Agilisys, said: “We wanted to make sure our surplus furniture stayed on-island and found a second life somewhere it could really make a difference. The Guille-Allès Library was the perfect fit. It’s great to see everything being used and enjoyed rather than going to waste.
“On top of that, raising £1,700 for a charity like Wigwam was a real bonus. Supporting the local community has always been a big part of our work in Guernsey, from environmental volunteering to student tech initiatives, so it’s always great to give something lasting back. We still have an enormous fondness for the people of Guernsey, and we wish them all the best.”
Cornelia James, Chief Librarian at Guille-Allès, said: “We are so grateful for Agilisys’ kind donation, each piece of which has made a huge difference in rooms across the library. We’ve had great feedback from regulars who really value the additions, particularly the soundproof booths, which have been a big hit.
“For our team, the upgrades behind the scenes have been just as important. The changes have given our staff spaces a real lift and made a noticeable difference to everyone’s wellbeing. They may seem like small things, but they’ve had a big impact.”
Pictured: Richard Gutsell, former Managing Partner at Agilisys, delivers donation to additional needs charity Wigwam’s Susie Gallienne
